Rabat Commuters Outraged as Public Transport Fares Skyrocket Amid Economic Strain

The STRS has revised the price of the ticket upwards, going from 6 to 7 dirhams, while the Alsa fare has reached 6.5 dirhams, an increase between 0.5 and 1.5 dirhams. A decision strongly contested by users who expressed their discontent following the announcement by Alsa of this measure on its social networks, on the very day of its implementation on July 1, 2025. In its note, the operator justifies this increase by "the weakness of revenues, the repercussions of Covid-19, as well as the contractual clauses", reports Al Ahdath Al Maghribia.

Faced with the silence of the local authorities on these increases, citizens and civil society actors have called for the withdrawal of this measure, in view of the socio-economic context marked by the galloping inflation of basic necessities, as well as the respect of the specifications by Alsa. They also wished to strengthen the bus fleet in order to reduce the saturation of the lines.

The delegated management contract signed in 2018 between the Rabat city hall and Alsa for a period of 15 years, with the possibility of a 7-year extension, provides for a progressive pricing: 5 dirhams for the first four years, 5.5 dirhams between the fifth and eighth year, then 6 dirhams from the ninth year until the expiry of the contract. The Spanish operator had committed to starting its operation with a fleet of 350 buses, which should be gradually reinforced by 30 units the second year, 50 others between the fourth and eighth year, and one additional bus for each tranche of 25,000 users.